The short answer
The ten largest software and IT companies headquartered in Japan, ranked by reported number of employees, are NTT Data, NEC, Fujitsu, Recruit Holdings, Rakuten Group, Nomura Research Institute (NRI), SCSK, CyberAgent, Trend Micro and LY Corporation. NTT Data is the largest, with about 197,800 employees (2025).
The ten companies at a glance
| # | Company | Headquarters | Founded | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTT Data | Tokyo | 1988 | 197,800 (2025) |
| 2 | NEC | Tokyo | 1899 | 104,194 (2025) |
| 3 | Fujitsu | Kawasaki | 1935 | 99,000 (2026) |
| 4 | Recruit Holdings | Tokyo | 1960 | 49,480 (2025) |
| 5 | Rakuten Group | Tokyo | 1997 | 29,334 (2024) |
| 6 | Nomura Research Institute (NRI) | Tokyo | 1965 | 13,278 (group) (2020) |
| 7 | SCSK | Tokyo | 1968 | 11,910 (2017) |
| 8 | CyberAgent | Tokyo | 1998 | 7,720 (2024) |
| 9 | Trend Micro | Tokyo | 1988 | 7,000 (2022) |
| 10 | LY Corporation | Tokyo | 2023 | Not stated |
Ranked by the most recent employee count stated on each company’s Wikipedia article or official website, checked 24 October 2026. Years in brackets show when that figure applies; companies without a stated figure are listed last.
The companies in detail
1NTT Data
TokyoOne of the world’s largest IT services and consulting companies, spun off from NTT in 1988 and working in more than 50 countries.
- Headquarters
- Tokyo
- Founded
- 1988
- Employees
- 197,800 (2025)
- Ownership
- Subsidiary of NTT (delisted 2025)
2NEC
TokyoSells IT, cloud, AI and telecommunications products and services to businesses, network operators and governments.
- Headquarters
- Tokyo
- Founded
- 1899
- Employees
- 104,194 (2025)
- Ownership
- Public company (TYO: 6701)
3Fujitsu
KawasakiOne of the world’s largest IT services providers, offering systems integration, cloud, software and IT equipment.
- Headquarters
- Kawasaki
- Founded
- 1935
- Employees
- 99,000 (2026)
- Ownership
- Public company (Tokyo, Nagoya)
4Recruit Holdings
TokyoAn HR technology group that runs online matching platforms including the job search engine Indeed and the employer review site Glassdoor.
- Headquarters
- Tokyo
- Founded
- 1960
- Employees
- 49,480 (2025)
- Ownership
- Public company (TSE, Nikkei 225)
5Rakuten Group
TokyoA technology conglomerate built around the Rakuten Ichiba online marketplace, with fintech, mobile and other internet services.
- Headquarters
- Tokyo
- Founded
- 1997
- Employees
- 29,334 (2024)
- Ownership
- Public company (TYO: 4755)
6Nomura Research Institute (NRI)
TokyoJapan’s largest economic research and consulting firm, which also provides system integration and IT development services.
- Headquarters
- Tokyo
- Founded
- 1965
- Employees
- 13,278 (group) (2020)
- Ownership
- Public company (TYO: 4307)
7SCSK
TokyoProvides IT services and software to businesses, including system integration, cloud computing and information security.
- Headquarters
- Tokyo
- Founded
- 1968
- Employees
- 11,910 (2017)
- Ownership
- Subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation (delisted 2026)
8CyberAgent
TokyoAn internet company spanning digital advertising, games and media, including the streaming service ABEMA.
- Headquarters
- Tokyo
- Founded
- 1998
- Employees
- 7,720 (2024)
- Ownership
- Public company (TYO: 4751)
9Trend Micro
TokyoBuilds cybersecurity software for servers, cloud, networks and endpoints; it was founded in Los Angeles and is headquartered in Tokyo.
- Headquarters
- Tokyo
- Founded
- 1988
- Employees
- 7,000 (2022)
- Ownership
- Public company (TYO: 4704)
10LY Corporation
TokyoThe internet company formed in 2023 from the merger of LINE and Yahoo! Japan, running messaging, search, news and e-commerce services.
- Headquarters
- Tokyo
- Founded
- 2023
- Employees
- Not stated
- Ownership
- Public company (TYO: 4689), majority-owned by SoftBank and Naver
What this list tells us about Japan’s software industry
- Tokyo is the main hub. 9 of the ten companies on this list are headquartered there, with others in Kawasaki.
- A long track record. The oldest company here, NEC, was founded in 1899; the youngest, LY Corporation, in 2023.
- Founding wave. More companies on this list were founded in the 1960s (3) than in any other decade.
- Ownership mix. 10 of the ten are publicly listed and 3 are subsidiaries of, or majority-owned by, other groups; the rest are independent private companies, cooperatives or state-linked organisations.
Japan at a glance
- Capital
- Tokyo
- Official languages
- Japanese
- Currency
- Yen (JPY)
- Population
- 122.95 million (2026 est.)
- GDP per capita (nominal)
- $35,703 (2026 est.)
Economy. Services make up about 70% of output and industry about 27.5%.
Country figures from Wikipedia’s article on Japan, checked 24 October 2026. Estimates are rounded and dated as stated there.
Working with software companies in Japan
- Time zone. Japan uses UTC+09:00 all year, with no daylight saving time. Agree overlap hours in writing before a project starts.
- Data protection. Check which data protection law applies to any personal data you share, and put the obligations into your contract.
- Due diligence. Large companies on this list mostly sell their own products or enterprise services. If you need a development partner for a specific project, ask for case studies, interview the engineers and start with a short paid trial. Our guide on how to choose an IT staff augmentation company includes a free vendor scorecard.
- Budget. Typical 2026 hourly rates by region are in our IT staff augmentation cost and rates guide.
- Extra capacity. If you want developers to join your own team rather than outsource a whole project, our IT Staff Augmentation Company provide dedicated engineers who work in your time zone, tools and processes.
How we built this list
- Candidates. We started from Wikipedia’s list of companies of Japan, the country’s best-known technology firms and companies regularly named in the local and international business press.
- Scope. We kept companies whose main business is software, IT services or a software-based platform, and that are headquartered in Japan. Telecom operators, banks and hardware makers were left out, as were local offices of foreign groups. Companies founded in Japan but now headquartered abroad are listed separately when relevant.
- Verification. For every company we checked headquarters, founding year, ownership, size and whether it is still active against its Wikipedia article or, where none exists, its own official website, on 24 October 2026. Each entry links to the page we checked.
- Ranking. Companies are ranked by their most recently stated number of employees, the most comparable size measure available for public and private firms alike.
- No payments. No company paid or was asked to appear. iCreativez Technologies is itself a software and IT services company, so we do not include or rank ourselves on country lists.
Employee figures come from different years, are sometimes self-reported on company websites and sometimes count a whole group rather than one company, so treat the ranking as a guide to scale rather than an exact league table.
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Software companies in nearby countries
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest software company in Japan?
By reported number of employees, NTT Data is the largest software and IT company headquartered in Japan, with about 197,800 employees (2025). It one of the world’s largest IT services and consulting companies, spun off from NTT in 1988 and working in more than 50 countries.
Which city is the main software hub in Japan?
Among the companies on this list, Tokyo is home to the most: 9 of the ten are headquartered there.
What is the oldest software company in Japan on this list?
NEC, founded in 1899 and headquartered in Tokyo.
How did you choose the software companies in Japan?
We considered the best-known companies headquartered in Japan whose main business is software or IT services. We verified each one against its Wikipedia article or official website and ranked them by reported number of employees. No company paid to be included.
What is the economy of Japan based on?
Services make up about 70% of output and industry about 27.5%.
What languages and currency are used for business in Japan?
The official language is Japanese, and the currency is the Yen (JPY).
Can I hire software developers to work with a team in Japan?
Yes. Many businesses combine local partners with remote developers. iCreativez Technologies provides dedicated developers and offshore teams that can work your hours; see our dedicated developers page or contact us.
Sources
All company details were checked on 24 October 2026 against these pages:
- Wikipedia: List of companies of Japan
- NTT Data: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTT_Data
- NEC: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEC
- Fujitsu: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujitsu
- Recruit Holdings: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recruit_Holdings
- Rakuten Group: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakuten
- Nomura Research Institute (NRI): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomura_Research_Institute
- SCSK: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCSK
- CyberAgent: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CyberAgent
- Trend Micro: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trend_Micro
- LY Corporation: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LY_Corporation
- Wikipedia: Japan (country profile)
If you represent a company on this page and a detail has changed, contact us and we will review it. Related guides: top IT staff augmentation companies 2026 · staff augmentation vs outsourcing vs managed services.